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Fixing white powdery stains on a metal statue

September 13, 2013

Q. I bought a statue in China that is some kind of metal. It stayed in storage for 3 years and when we opened it it has a white powdery breakdown on the metal, with some blueish green color around it. How can I treat this piece to stop what's happening and get rid of the damage?

Thanks,
Debbie

Debbie James
- Texas City, Texas, USA

A. Hi Debbie. Although you can probably lacquer or clearcoat the statue to minimize ongoing damage, it is very difficult to guess what to do to fix corrosion stains when you don't know what the substrate is or what the finish is. No hints are available at all? Does it seem light enough to be aluminum? Is it magnetic? What color is it minus the white powder? Does it seem to be sheet metal or a casting?

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
September 18, 2013

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